As soon as we entered Baku the first impression on me was the pulling already closer to the center of the city. We stretched in it for about an hour. When we were almost at our goal, I was struck by the fact that in the relatively narrow street of Nakhchivan, parked cars, not in one row, but even in two. As I have already managed to understand here if anyone needs to stop, just stop, without thinking about emergency lights, turn signals, not to mention me driving behind.

 

Our former colleagues from Sochi, Lyuba and Pasha, who are also expats who came to the games in Baku, were already waiting for us on Nakhchivani Street. We parked in a paid parking lot and went up to visit them. While our girls were cooking something to eat, Pasha and I decided that we would go and take our things to the Hotel that our employer had reserved for us. The hotel was three minutes away, on Izmir Street. As we drove in front of the main entrance the faces of the security guards, at the sight of my Peugeot, gradually began to load up with the emotion of “What the fuck is this?!” We left the car in front of the entrance and went to check in at the hotel reception. The nice girl working behind the counter greeted us with a welcoming smile, as if I had been expected here for 30 years. Accordingly, Pasha and I also lit up the hotel lobby with our smiles. It took three trips on the hotel cart for our luggage. The doorman, who had to help us, could not believe his own eyes that such a small car could be filled with so many things. When all our luggage was delivered to the room, we parked the car, and went to the Pub for a drink to the meeting. We drank, ate free popcorn, and went to the girls’ house.

It’s Saturday.

We woke up, and I realized that snacking on popcorn was wrong; it was probably the popcorn that gave me a slight headache. Because yesterday we drank very good and high quality alcohol at Pasha and Lyuba’s house J Even though I had a slight headache, I was still in a great mood, and I was able to appreciate the spacious and bright room we were given. Very pleased with the wide and comfortable bed, and the most pleasant thing is the smell. The whole hotel has a very pleasant, specific smell. Later, I tried to find out what that smell was. But none of the employees wanted to make the secret public.

 

A separate chapter could be written about the breakfasts at the Hyatt Regency Baku. The morning meal is awesome. In the range of dishes offered, only black and red caviar were probably missing, everything else in several interpretations. Smoked salmon, pickled salmon, such salmon, such salmon, such salmon. It’s the same with meat and salads. After a few days in the hotel, I met with the hotel manager and made him an offer for a free photo shoot. I would be interested in it for my own PR in Baku, to which I received a categorical ban on photographing anything in the hotel. Explanation, like I will make you a very cool commercial photos, better than you have now, you can use them an unlimited number of times, and if you like it, then the next time we can work together. None of this worked. One fine morning, even before I talked to the manager of Hyatt, I still managed to take a few pictures, which I am sharing with you. As an added bonus to all this, I have access to the hotel sports complex, which has a gym, two tennis courts, a sauna, a pool, and two playstations.

 

My delight did not last long, after 14 days in the main building, we were thrown in a block with suites. This building is next to the main building, the only difference is that there is no lobby in the apartment block, and breakfast is no longer provided. As Duty manager and I went to see our new room, he very gallantly and politely told us that our suite was individual and there were no more like it. In fact, the room was much larger than in the main building, but there was one thing, but. The room stinks, I write stinks, because the remains of the smell is present to this day J Every day we go to a group of engineers and try to get rid of the smell. In vain. Another feature of the room is that the toilet is located in the closet, or closet in the toilet, which is not very comfortable for two people, and the moisture probably gets on the things that hang in the toilet…. We were also given another hotel room with our own personal kitchen. In fact, it’s just a regular room that the bed has been pulled out of. From our room, it’s about a minute’s walk to the kitchen, through the common hallway. You can’t run around in your underpants at night. Of kitchen utensils there is only a refrigerator and an electric stove. By the way, the fridge “Dnepr. Why in Baku, in Hayat, was the Dnepr is not clear, maybe they select the manufacturer for each guest, the Czechs have “TESLA” Japanese “Panasonic” and we have “Dnepr”, probably so that there were no difficulties with the operation. About the photos of the hotel, I was not discouraged, talked to the Duty Manager, which, according to him, reports only to senior management of the hotel, and he promised me that he would solve the problem, and offer my “free” services to his management. A few days later we met again, and he told me that the management said that nothing will be filmed that they have a photographer and that in general, nada… So there will be no hotel, and I will not have in portfolio one more beautiful hotel.